Live This Weekend: Lorde, The Orb, Jarboe, and More

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Ghostly International Showcase Born of Detroit techno and raised into international consciousness by the success of innovator Matthew Dear, the Ghostly International label has in its 15 years become a driving force in contemporary electronic music, and, as tonight’s headliner proves, is beginning to reap what it has sown. Headliner Shigeto grew up a fan of the label, which helped shape his complex sound, which incorporates dubstep, jazz, and ambient sounds. Seattle’s own Lusine will represent with his ambient, serpentine pop. Crocodile. 9 p.m. $17 adv. /free with Decibel pass. MARK BAUMGARTEN

Capitalizing on the success of their previous collaboration, blues/gospel legend Mavis Staples has re-teamed with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy on a new record, One True Vine. At 74, Staples doesn’t have much left to prove, yet she’s still retained that iconic voice, and, even more impressive, the will to push the boundaries of her craft. The Moore. 8 p.m. $37.50. CORBIN REIFF

Released in May, Nocturnes, the sophomore release by English singer/DJ Victoria Hesketh, aka Little Boots, follows the same atmospheric synth-pop path she went down on her 2009 debut album. There’s a darker vibe to this batch of songs, though, and each one still manages to make you want to shimmy like there’s no tomorrow. With Light Asylum, Young Galaxy, MNDR. Neumos. 9 p.m. $25 adv./free with Decibel pass. 21 and over. AZARIA PODPLESKY

Nicolas JaarSpace Is Only Noise, Jaar’s 2011 debut, is a good summation of his modern, minimalist approach to house and techno; the most interesting moments occur, he says in a 2009 Resident Advisor interview, “between the beats.” At just 23, Jaar conveys more personality and emotion through his productions than most veteran electronic musicians. With Mount Kimbie, Phaeleh, Tarik Barri. Showbox SoDo. 9 p.m. $35 adv. /free with Decibel pass. All ages. ANDREW GOSPE

XXYYXX Teenage producer Marcel Everett hails from Orlando—not exactly a bastion of cool electronic music, but his slow-mo, R&B-sampling beats bear the hallmarks of cutting-edge UK garage, dubstep, and instrumental hip-hop. His star is rising, too, judging by his recent opening slot for of-the-moment electro-pop band Chvrches on their U.S. tour. With Machinedrum, Giraffage, Timeboy. Showbox at the Market. 9 p.m. $30 adv. /free with Decibel pass. All ages. AG

When the Evens started a decade back, it was with a one-off kiddie song called “Vowel Movement.” It was charming and all, but the collaboration between Washington, D.C., punk demigod Ian MacKaye and journeywoman drummer Amy Farina was bound for something much more serious and intensely powerful. The duo appears to have reached that zenith with its third, perfectly titled full-length, The Odds. A diverse collection of songs considering it’s all done with guitar and drums, the album is the work of two deeply talented artists expert at creating art as tense as it is poetic as it is political. “What if every single person was a deputy?” MacKaye sings over his trademark machine-steady guitar strum on the excellent “Wanted Criminals,” a song that ends with the duo chanting, in harmony, “Jails in search of prisoners.” MacKaye is in fine form and Farina is right beside him, nearly dominating the album with instrumental and vocal performances that are deep and resonant. But in the end, it is a perfect balance. Even, you could say. Vera Project. 8 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. All ages. MB

Saturday, Sept. 28

Kid Simpl’s music is huge in a quiet way. Like the landscapes of Iceland or an ancient forest at dawn, the Seattle producer’s atmospheric, bass-driven tunes evoke a sort of hushed reverence. Watch the swirling video for “Pulse” and try not to succumb to the majesty. With Cyril Hahn, Ryan Hemsworth, Henry Krinkle, DJAO, Domokos. Crocodile. 9 p.m. $20 adv/free with Decibel pass. All ages. KS

Slow Magic is some guy in a mysterious Technicolor fox mask who makes kaleidoscopic electronica fit for dancing underneath the moon. No, seriously—two of his songs are about moons in different waning stages. The music is called “glo-fi,” which isn’t really far off. If fireflies could DJ, they would make this kind of music. With Gold Panda, Odesza, Luke Abbott. Neumos. 9 p.m. $20 adv./free with Decibel pass. 21 and over. KS

The Orb No question “Little Fluffy Clouds” is this British ambient house group’s biggest hit, and it stands for all that’s great about electronic music: intuitive beats, trancey synths, and great samples seemingly plucked out of the sky—in this case, it’s Rickie Lee Jones discussing the Arizona sunsets when she was a child. Showbox at the Market. 12:15 a.m. $30/free with Decibel pass. GE

Joan of Arc is a band that’s never let melody or other supposed prerequisites for listenable music get in the way of a cool concept. For its latest exercise in this, this year’s Testimonium Songs, the band has produced an “interpretation” of a poet’s collage of courtroom testimony in workplace-negligence trials. Confused? That’s probably the point. With Arrington de Dionyso’s Song of Psychic Fire. Barboza. 7 p.m. $12 adv. 21 and over. DAN PERSON

Sunday, Sept. 29

Jarboe It makes sense that when Michael Gira reunited his post-punk group Swans a few years back, Jarboe wasn’t on board. The band’s former keyboardist and female vocalist has since the band’s dissolution in 1997 blazed her own path as a experimental vocalist, achieving new ways of bringing in her audience with her intoxicating voice and then shredding them. The plight of the siren is a lonely one. With Helen Money, Eye of Nix. Chop Suey. 8 p.m. $12 adv. MB

Is it just me or is Kansas City’s Tech N9ne always on tour? Seems like the quick-lipped rapper comes through town every other month, which makes it all the more impressive that his July release Something Else (his 13th studio album) features cameos from hip-hop heavyweights like Kendrick Lamar and Wiz Khalifa. With Krizz Kaliko, Mayday, Stevie Stone, Ces Cru. Paramount. 7 p.m. $35. All ages. AP

Electronic DJ ZEDD (real name, Anton Zaslavski) made heads turn and bodies shake with his breakout single “Clarity” (feat. Foxes), and with performances at every major electronic concert under his belt, he’s looking to take the mainstream EDM crown from Skrillex. But what sets ZEDD apart is his classical training—something you’ll hear in the tightness of his arrangements and the soaring melodies that take you to the drop. With OLIVER, Alex Metric. Showbox SoDo. 8 p.m. SOLD OUT. KP